The Dawn of the Renaissance Florence Cathedral

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the main church of Florence Italy It was one of the most impressive projects of the Renaissance Il Duomo di Firenze as it is ordinarily called was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi The exterior of the basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white The basilica is one of Italys largest churches and until development of new structural materials in the modern era was the largest in the world It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed